Moreover, although he wasn't a real advisor, he still had some discernment. Lou Fengyun was clearly being protected by this Secretary Song. As long as Secretary Song was around, Fuyixing wouldn't dare to provoke her anymore. Even if a nobody like him transferred to another member of Fuyixing, he probably wouldn't be trusted. So, he might as well stick by Lou Fengyun's side. Lou Fengyun had no one to rely on right now, and given his own physical limitations, he needed someone to run errands for him. This was a good opportunity for him to show his face in front of Secretary Song a few more times.
Song Tianyao didn't really care about Lou Fengyun. He only remembered one thing: that half of Lou Fengyun's money was his. Only when his Scribe Hui reminded him did Song Tianyao remember that he seemed to have said something like, "If Lou Fengyun moves out, remember to help her rent a tenement building for her family."
"She's still injured? Let her recover. It's kind of you to care. Once she's healed, let her come see me." Song Tianyao said casually to his Scribe Hui. He didn't care whether Lou Fengyun helped him pay the rent or not. What he really meant was to tell Lou Fengyun that she should stay away from Kowloon, a place no longer suitable for her, and that Wan Chai was a better option.
"No, no, Secretary Song, the house has already been arranged. The day after you told me, Sister Yun sent me to buy a tenement building on Tai Wo Street in Wan Chai," Scribe Hui quickly explained. "We can move in anytime."
Buying a tenement building and renting a floor of a tenement building are two different concepts. A tenement building is a common type of residential building in Hong Kong, with a maximum of five floors and only one unit of about 1,000 square feet per floor. So renting a floor of a tenement building sounds exaggerated, but in reality, it is just renting a 100-square-meter apartment.
However, buying a tenement building actually means buying the entire building, including the shops on the ground floor. According to current property prices, even an older tenement building would cost around Hong Kong dollars 60,000, and there might even be a transfer fee of around HK$6,000 to HK$10,000 paid privately.
Song Tianyao never expected that Lou Fengyun, a woman who had been expelled from Fuyixing and whose future was uncertain, would have the audacity to buy an entire tenement building. However, it wasn't surprising, because in Hong Kong now, you can't buy a property by floor; you have to buy the whole building. This is because the government considers it convenient to collect taxes, and each building only needs to be owned by one person. But the drawback is that most Hong Kong don't have the money to buy an entire tenement building. Most wealthy families buy several tenement buildings and then rent them out. Families with slightly better financial situations will rent an entire tenement building to live in, while those with lower incomes will rent the "end and end rooms" of the residential units. Those who barely make ends meet have to build their own Squatter Area on vacant land. This is why, although there are many tenement buildings in Hong Kong, a large number of poor people still have to live in Squatter Area.
"Then why didn't she move in first?" Song Tianyao asked with a smile, turning to his Scribe Hui.
Scribe Hui, wiped the sweat from his face. "Sister Yun said that Secretary Song should make the selection first. After Secretary Song has chosen and settled her family, she will move in."
"Then you can go and lead the way in the truck later." Song Tianyao didn't ask any further questions, and patted his Scribe Hui on the shoulder. "Let's go see how the tenement building she bought is doing."
After Song Tianyao finished speaking, the Scribe Hui agreed and ran to the truck to tell the driver the location.
Song Tianyao, with a cigarette between his fingers, pondered for a moment. Lou Fengyun, perhaps frightened by his performance that night, had become somewhat thoughtful. Although she couldn't hide her thoughts from Song Tianyao, and trying to emulate his intelligence would only exhaust her, this wasn't something Song Tianyao could simply warn her about. He would only stop when she hit a brick wall and suffered a bloody defeat.
Upon arriving at Tai Wo Street in Wan Chai, guided by the Scribe Hui, they saw the tenement building that Lou Fengyun had purchased. It was indeed an old building, only four stories high, and its layout was smaller than that of the tenement buildings newly built after the war. The first floor was filled with shops. Going up the stairs next to it, the layout of all the apartments in the building was the same, with no distinction between large and small units. So Song Tianyao simply chose a location on the second floor. Although the second floor was closer to the street and a bit noisy, at least he wouldn't have to climb the stairs every time.
Zhao Meizhen, Song Wenwen, and Song Chunliang were still somewhat dazed. What Song Tianyao considered a somewhat dilapidated tenement building was now a luxury to them, who were used to living in wooden houses. Seeing Song Tianyao casually mention to his Scribe Hui that he wanted the second floor, Zhao Meizhen tugged at Song Tianyao's sleeve and quietly asked:
How much is the monthly rent? How much is the transfer fee?
"The rent is five hundred, and the transfer fee is ten thousand," Song Tianyao said jokingly.
The number was so outrageous that even if Zhao Meizhen hadn't lived there, she knew her son was lying. Seeing that the Scribe Hui had already told the truck driver to open the door and prepare to move, she hurriedly took Song Chunliang and Song Wenwen to help. Song Tianyao went to a small teahouse nearby and took out ten yuan from the waiter at the door, who was curiously looking at the new Tai Wo Street family. "Excuse me, could you please ask a few neighbors to help? My parents are old, so please consider this money as a token of your appreciation."
These teahouse waiters do the kind of work that Wu Jinliang Lu Yu Teahouse does. When he saw Song Tianyao offering money, he readily agreed and went to the street. In just two or three minutes, he returned with five or six men, young and old. They gathered in front of the truck and greeted Zhao Meizhen Song Chunliang warmly, helping to carry the items on the truck upstairs.
Chapter Eighty Song Chengqi
Seeing the helpers arrive, Zhao Meizhen chatted with the elderly and children as she carried the household items. Meanwhile, Song Chunliang, seeing his wife carrying the plum vase upstairs, cautiously approached Song Tianyao, glancing back every few steps. After Song Tianyao had sent Chen Tai away, he murmured to his son:
"We don't need your help here. Go to Kowloon City and tell your grandfather that we're moving to Tai Wo Street in Wan Chai. Also, take this."
As he spoke, Song Chunliang swiftly opened his undershirt, pulled a small cloth bag from his belt, and stuffed it into Song Tianyao's suit pocket. After confirming that Zhao Meizhen hadn't noticed his actions, he urged Song Tianyao: